Event details
The Centre for Financial Technology (CFT) at Imperial College London will be hosting a conference on ‘DeFi and the metaverse: What does a decentralised future look like?’ on the 4th to the 5th of May at the Berkeley Hotel in London.
This conference is designed to cover the risks and opportunities of an emerging economic framework that is powered by these technologies. It will cover the technical aspects of the science and technology, the business potential, cyber security concerns and the socio-technical and geopolitical /policy implications of DeFi and metaverse concepts becoming more dominant in our economies and financial systems. The first day of the conference will inspect the current trends in DeFi, its opportunities and risks, and interaction with regulation and government. The second day will then broaden the discussion to include the impact of web 3.0 and the metaverse on these developments and how the future of our society may be impacted.
The Centre for Financial Technology acts as a hub for interdisciplinary research that is needed to develop innovation, reveal insights and answer questions around financial technology by bringing together the activities of academics, start-ups, established industry and governmental organisations. The Centre benefits from Imperial College London’s leading position in science and technology, and Imperial College Business School’s outstanding finance department while taking full advantage of London’s unique position as a global financial centre.
Agenda
8.25-8.55 Registration (tea and coffee provided)
8.55-9.00 Welcome address
Prof Francisco Veloso, Dean of Imperial College Business School
9.00-9.15 Conference Introduction
Prof Deeph Chana, Co-director, Centre for Financial Technology
9.15-10.45 Session 1: Current trends of the decentralised space
Chair: Jason Engelbrecht - Head of Innovation Lab, Citi
- Prof Cathy Mulligan - ERA Chair in Blockchain, University of Lisbon
- Conor Svensson - Founder, Web3 Labs
- Almira Cemmell - Senior Advisor, Binance Charity
- Miguel Morel - CEO, Arkham Intelligence
10.45-11.15 Break (tea and coffee provided)
11.15-12.45 Session 2: The opportunities and risks of DeFi, Part 1
Chair: Ben Brabyn - Director, Amitypath
- Dr Arthur Gervais - Decentralized Systems & Security Group, Imperial College
- Prof Aggelos Kiayias - Blockchain Tech Lab, University of Edinburgh
12.45-14.10 Lunch
14.10-15.40 Session 3: The opportunities and risks of DeFi, Part 2
Chair: Kartik Varma - Angel investor
- Mario Stumpo - Founder, BmyBit
- Prof Wei Xiong - Princeton University and Cambridge University
15.40-16.15 Break (tea and coffee provided)
16.15-17.45 Session4: What does the regulation of DeFi look like?
Chair: Dr Ying-Ying Hsieh - Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering, Imperial College
- Dr Joseph Lee - University of Manchester Law
- Dr Igor Makarov - London School of Economics
17.45-17.50 Day 1 Closing Remarks
17.50-Onward Drinks Reception
8.30-9.00 Registration (tea and coffee Provided)
9.00-9.15 Summary of Day 1 and Introduction to Day 2
Prof Gilles Chemla, Co-director, Centre for Financial Technology
9.15-10.45 Session 5: Future Society and the Metaverse, Part 1
Chair: Prof Robert Kosowski - Head of Finance Department, Imperial College Business School
- Nisha Surendran - Digital Assets, Citi
- Sophia Bantanidis - Future of Finance, Global Insights, Citi
- Dr Jane Thomason - Co-Founder, British Blockchain and Frontier Technology Assn
10.45-11.15 Break (tea and coffee provided)
11.15-12.45 Session 6: Future Society and the Metaverse, Part 2
Chair: Dr Victoria Baines - Visiting Fellow, Bournemouth University
- Arda Akartuna - Crypto Threat Analyst, Elliptic
- Omer Suleman - Founder, Haruko
- Athena Yu – Deputy Head of NFT, Binance
12.45-12.50 Conference closing remarks
12.50-14.00 Lunch